Public Interest

 You can play a part in planning the future of our region and get involved by attending meetings of the Regional Council and Management Committee, various open houses, public hearings, and by contributing to MAG Committees.

Left: MAG Offices on 1st Avenue and Van Buren
Committees include Policy Committees established to provide specific policy recommendations to the Management Committee and Regional Council, and Technical Advisory Committees consisting of professional experts to assist in program development.

HOW ARE DECISIONS MADE AT MAG?

The Regional Council is the governing and chief policy-making body for the organization and is composed of elected officials appointed by each member agency. For the majority of MAG members, the city or town mayor serves as the Regional Council member. The Chairman of the Board of Supervisors usually represents Maricopa County on the Regional Council. The Maricopa County State Transportation Board member represents the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). The Chairman of the Citizens Transportation Oversight Committee also serves on the Regional Council. Currently, the Governor of the Gila River Indian Community and the President of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community serve on the Regional Council.

The Executive Committee consists of at least three Regional Council members that are elected at the annual meeting to serve for one year (until the next annual meeting). The Executive Committee is required to include the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Treasurer of the Regional Council as ex-officio members. In June 1997 the Executive Committee was expanded to five members to allow for additional participation by the member agencies. The MAG By-Laws indicate that the MAG business which arises between meetings of the Regional Council can be conducted by the Executive Committee.

The Management Committee consists of the chief administrators from each member agency. For cities, towns and the County, the manager is the Management Committee representative. Community managers represent Indian Communities, and the directors of ADOT and the Regional Public Transportation Authority represent his or her respective agency on the Management Committee.

What is the Role of the Management Committee?

The role of the Management Committee is to assist in policy making. Members of the Management Committee are strongly encouraged to brief their Regional Council representative regarding MAG related issues. The types of information provided by the manager include previous public input, pros and cons, technical and policy implications, prior committee actions, and action needed from the Regional Council.

Several committees have been established to provide assistance to the Regional Council on specific topics.